Editor’s Introduction by Rebecca Cairns

I write this introduction in the week following the Voice Referendum in Australia:

On Saturday, 14 October 2023, Australians voted in a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The referendum did not pass. (Australian Government, 2023, para 1.)

It is a significant moment for the nation and one that raises important questions and challenges for the Australian history education community as we critically reflect on what this means for the way Australia’s 65,000 years of history is taught in relation to ongoing calls from First Nations Peoples for truth-telling about the impact of colonisation. It has also shaped the context in which this collection was developed.

The 2020-2021 review of the Australian Curriculum, spearheaded by then federal ministers for education, Alan Tudge and Stuart Robert, would suggest that conservative politicians are working hard to maintain the staus quo of historical narratives that emphasise ‘positive’ and ‘patriotic’ versions of history (see Cairns, 2022; Clark, 2021). History educators are, however, much better equipped to navigate the complexities of contested histories with the young people they teach.

Although this collection is not specifically focused on Australian history, here in settler-colonial Australia pre- and in-service History teachers are aware that the teaching of any histories is underpinned by a set of power relations that shape the Western-centric disciplinary traditions of History and the dominant historical narratives we see reflected in official curricula and politicisised debates.

Sometimes official school history curricula invite educators to grapple with the contested and constructed nature of historical narratives and make efforts to diversify the voices and perspectives through their aims and content. But research from around the world (e.g. Alexander & Weekes-Bernard, 2016; Cairns, Fricker & Weuffen, forthcoming; Taylor & Guyver, 2012) suggests that more often than not, history curricula and associated resources are lacking when it comes to including a diversity of voices, perspectives and narratives, and–for a range of complex reasons–teachers often choose not to stray from the well worn path of what has long been taught in their schools or from that which is familiar from their own educations (see Cairns, 2021; Moncrieffe, 2020; ).

This is not to suggest that teachers are unwilling to engage students with alternative histories or make the space for marginalised voices to be heard. As the introduction written by Alex, Andy and Aidan suggests, the everyday realities of teaching can impact on our capacity to innovate, especially in the exam-driven senior secondary years. Curriculum can therefore seem narrower than it might potentially be.

Sharing the infinite ways curriculum can be enacted by co-creating history education resources as open educational resources (OER), as this collection does, is one way we can open up the possibilities and also support and learn from each other as colleagues. This is especially important for the pre-service teachers and graduates joining the history education community.

As Alex, Andy and Aidan explain in their introduction, this collection showcases the potential of OER and OER-enabled pedagogy for history education. The learning and teaching activities within this collection were developed by Deakin pre-service teachers as part of a renewable assessment task within the Master of Teaching unit called History Curriculum Inquiry Senior Years, which I lead. It follows the publication of our first open book: Historical thinking for senior secondary students: A collection of teaching and learning activities 2022.

A key aim of this this approach to open assessment and OER-enabled pedagogy is to empower pre-service teachers to share their developing practice in ways that are collegial and equitable: OER are free and adaptable for any classroom or curriculum context. It helps new and experienced teachers see the myriad of ways curriculum content and pedagogical strategies can be mixed and matched, and also highlights the great existing history education resources available online.

As Deakin is located in Victoria, most of the activities are designed with the VCE Study Design: History (VCAA, 2020) in mind; however, they can be adapted to suit educators in any location. The teaching and learning activities also seek to take up the theme of diverse historical narratives, voices and perspectives, which we hope is also relevant to educators in other settings.

I thank these pre-service teachers for their enthusiasm, especially as they faced the challenges of juggling university, assessment, an extended professional experience placement and other work/life pressures throughout the trimester. I wish them all the best as start their careers teaching history in very interesting times.

Dr Rebecca Cairns

School of Education, Deakin University

Wadawurrung Country